Iron-Type Golf Clubs and Golf Club Heads with Contoured Surfaces

ABSTRACT

Iron-type golf club heads according to at least some example aspects of this disclosure include a ball striking surface, a rear surface, and a sole surface. The sole surface may have a maximum width and a minimum width. The minimum width may be located adjacent to a heel edge. The maximum width may be located between a ball striking centerline and a toe edge. The width of the sole surface may monotonically increase from the minimum width to the maximum width. Further, a sole trailing edge may have an S-shaped profile that extends between the maximum width and the minimum width. A lower rear surface region may have a substantially flat portion located to the toe-side of the centerline and an indented, complexly-curved portion located to the heel-side of the centerline.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to golf clubs and golf club heads.Particular example aspects of this disclosure relate to iron-type golfclubs and iron-type golf club heads.

BACKGROUND

Golf is enjoyed by a wide variety of players—players of differentgenders and dramatically different ages and/or skill levels. Golf issomewhat unique in the sporting world in that such diverse collectionsof players can play together in golf events, even in direct competitionwith one another (e.g., using handicapped scoring, different tee boxes,in team formats, etc.), and still enjoy the golf outing or competition.These factors, together with the increased availability of golfprogramming on television (e.g., golf tournaments, golf news, golfhistory, and/or other golf programming) and the rise of well-known golfsuperstars, at least in part, have increased golf's popularity in recentyears, both in the United States and across the world.

Golfers at all skill levels seek to improve their performance, lowertheir golf scores, and reach that next performance “level.”Manufacturers of all types of golf equipment have responded to thesedemands, and in recent years, the industry has witnessed dramaticchanges and improvements in golf equipment.

Being the sole instrument that sets a golf ball in motion during play,golf clubs have been the subject of much technological research andadvancement in recent years. For example, the market has seen dramaticchanges and improvements in putter designs, golf club head designs,shafts, and grips in recent years. In certain examples, different golfclub head geometries have been developed to provide certain ballstriking benefits to the golfer. Such geometries, however, can alsoaffect other characteristics of the golf club head such as center ofgravity, moment of inertia, etc. Additionally, other technologicaladvancements have been made in an effort to better match the variouselements and/or characteristics of the golf club and characteristics ofa golf ball to a particular user's swing features or characteristics(e.g., club fitting technology, ball launch angle measurementtechnology, ball spin rates, etc.).

While the industry has witnessed dramatic changes and improvements togolf equipment in recent years, there is room in the art for furtheradvances in golf club technology as prior art designs continue to havecertain limitations. The present invention seeks to overcome certain ofthese limitations and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to providenew features not heretofore available.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following presents a general summary of aspects of the disclosure inorder to provide a basic understanding of the disclosure and variousaspects of it. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure in any way, but it simply provides a general overview andcontext for the more detailed description that follows.

Iron-type golf club heads according to at least some example aspects ofthis disclosure include a ball striking surface, a rear surface, and asole surface. The sole surface may extend rearward from a sole leadingedge to a sole trailing edge and may extend lengthwise from a sole heeledge to a sole toe edge. The sole surface may have a maximum width and aminimum width. The minimum width may be located adjacent to the soleheel edge. Optionally, the minimum width may be located between aheel-side boundary line and the ball striking centerline. The maximumwidth may be located between the ball striking centerline and the soletoe edge. Optionally, the maximum width may be located between thecenterline and a toe-side boundary line. The width of the sole surfacemay monotonically increase from the minimum width to the maximum width,from the sole heel edge to the centerline, and/or from the heel-sideboundary line to the centerline. According to certain embodiments, thesole trailing edge may have an S-shaped profile (i.e., a convexcurvature and a concave curvature with a point of inflectiontherebetween) that extends between the maximum width and the minimumwidth.

Iron-type golf club heads according to other example aspects of thisdisclosure include a ball striking surface configured for striking aball and having a grip-enhancing area defining a heel-side boundaryline, a toe-side boundary line and a ball striking centerline. The clubhead further includes a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface.The rear surface may have an upper rear surface region, a lower rearsurface region and an interface line defining the boundary therebetween.The upper rear surface region may be oriented substantially parallel tothe ball striking surface and may be bounded by the upper edge and theinterface line. The lower rear surface region may have a toe-sideportion that extends at least from the ball striking centerline to thetoe-side boundary line. Further, the toe-side portion may be orientedsubstantially vertically when the club head is in a reference position.The lower rear surface region may also have a heel-side portion thatextends from the toe-side portion to the heel. The heel-side portion mayhave a rear profile dimension measured perpendicular to the ballstriking surface that monotonically decreases as it approaches the heel.

Iron-type golf club heads according to even other example aspects ofthis disclosure include a ball striking surface configured for strikinga ball and having a grip-enhancing area defining a heel-side boundaryline, a toe-side boundary line and a ball striking centerline. The clubhead further includes a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface,the rear surface having an upper rear surface region, a lower rearsurface region and an interface line defining the boundary therebetween.The club head includes a sole surface extending rearward from the ballstriking surface to the rear surface and extending from a heel edge to atoe edge. The sole surface has a maximum width and a minimum width, thewidths measured horizontally when the club head is in a referenceposition. The width of the sole surface may monotonically increase fromthe heel edge to the centerline. When viewed from above and parallel tothe ball striking surface, the lower rear surface region may have acomplexly-curved rear profile that monotonically increases as it extendsfrom the heel edge to the centerline. Further, the lower rear surfaceregion may have a convexly-curved rear profile extending between thecenterline and the toe edge.

Additional aspects of this disclosure relate to golf club structuresthat include golf club heads, e.g., of the types described above. Suchgolf club structures further may include one or more of: a shaft memberattached to the club head (optionally via a separate hosel member or ahosel member provided as an integral part of one or more of the clubhead or shaft); a grip or handle member attached to the shaft member;additional weight members; etc. Additional aspects of this disclosurerelate to ball striking devices as described above for a golf club heador golf club structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of agolf club structure having a golf club head according to aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom-angled rear perspective view of the golf club headillustrated in FIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is top-angled rear perspective view of the golf club headillustrated in FIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a rear-angled heel-side perspective view of the golf club headillustrated in FIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 taken along Line L1-L1 in FIG. 3 according to aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 taken along Line L2-L2 in FIG. 3 according to aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 taken along Line L3-L3 in FIG. 3 according to aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8D is another cross-sectional view of the golf club headillustrated in FIG. 1 taken along Line L1-L1 in FIG. 3 according toaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a prior art golf club head.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the golf club head illustrated inFIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 11A is a front perspective view of a prior art golf club head.

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the prior art golf club headillustrated in FIG. 11A taken along Line 11B-11B in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12A is a front perspective view of the golf club head illustratedin FIG. 1 according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the golf club head illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 12A taken along Line 12B-12B in FIG. 12B according toaspects of the disclosure.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of specific aspects of the invention. Certainfeatures of the illustrated embodiments may have been enlarged ordistorted relative to others to facilitate visualization and clearunderstanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, forexample, for clarity of illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various examples of the invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a parthereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various examplestructures, systems, and steps in which aspects of the invention may bepracticed. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements ofparts, structures, example devices, systems, and steps may be utilizedand structural and functional modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. Also, while the terms“top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “side,” and the like may be used inthis specification to describe various example features and elements ofthe invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience,e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures and/or theorientation at the reference position. Nothing in this specificationshould be construed as requiring a specific three dimensionalorientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of thisinvention.

As described above, aspects of this disclosure relate to iron-type golfclub heads and golf clubs. Iron-type golf club heads according to atleast some example aspects of this disclosure may have a contoured rearsurface and/or a contoured sole surface. The contoured sole surfaceaccording to at least some examples of this disclosure may provide heelrelief. Heel relief may be defined as the combination of the removal ofmaterial from the heel of the sole with smooth or soft transition edges,which allows for the club sole to lie at an angle and opens the face andincreases lift. For example, heel relief may provide the ability for aconsumer-type golfer to perform well in the bunker and in turf-typeconditions. Heel relief generally provides and allows a wider, morestable sole surface in the toe-side of the club head.

Iron-type golf clubs generally can generally be divided into threecategories: blades, muscle backs, and cavity backs. Typically, thethickness of the blades are substantially uniform from heel to toe andfrom sole to top line, although there may be some tapering from sole totop line. Further, the rear surface of a blade-type club head generallyhas a substantially planar appearance. Typically, a muscle back typeclub head resembles a blade with an extra ridge of material, i.e., athickened portion, located on the rear surface. The extra ridge ofmaterial may be formed as a rib that extends from the heel to the toeand may be positioned toward the bottom of the club head to therebylower the club head center of gravity. A cavity back type club headtypically is provided with a thickened portion located on the rearsurface of the club head that extends around the perimeter of the clubhead and defines a cavity or recess within its boundaries. Thedimensions of the thickened portion may be constant around the perimeteror the thickness and/or width may vary. Often the thickened portion of acavity back type club head has its greatest cross-section along thelower edge of the perimeter.

A club head with a lower center of gravity than the ball center ofgravity may facilitate getting the golf ball airborne. Because blade andmuscle back designs generally have a small “sweet spot,” which is a termthat refers to the area of the face that results in a desirable golfshot upon striking a golf ball, these designs are typically only used byskilled golfers. However, these designs allow the skilled golfer agreater degree of control over the well-hit ball.

Given the general description of various example aspects of thedisclosure provided above, more detailed descriptions of variousspecific examples of golf clubs and golf club head structures accordingto the disclosure are provided below.

The following discussion and accompanying figures describe variousexample golf clubs and golf club head structures in accordance with thepresent disclosure. When the same reference number appears in more thanone drawing, that reference number is used consistently in thisspecification and the drawings to refer to the same or similar partsthroughout.

Examples and features of iron-type golf club heads and golf clubstructures according to this disclosure will be described in detailbelow in conjunction with the example golf club structures illustratedin FIGS. 1-8D, 10, 12A, and 12B. In more specific aspects of theinvention, the examples and features of the iron-type golf club headsand golf club structures may be representative of wedge-type golf clubsand golf club heads, i.e., pitching wedge, lob wedge, gap wedge, sandwedge. Wedge-type clubs may also be listed or identified by loft anglein degrees, i.e., 48-degree wedge, 50-degree wedge, 53-degree wedge,59-degree wedge, 62-degree wedge as some examples. Without departingfrom this invention, any degree wedge (or named wedge) may be utilizedusing the below described invention.

FIG. 1 generally illustrates an example of an iron-type golf club 100according to aspects of the disclosure. As seen in FIG. 1, the iron-typegolf club head 100 may include a golf club head 102 in accordance withthe present disclosure. In addition to the golf club head 102, theoverall golf club structure 100 of this example may include a hosel 104,a shaft member 106 received in and/or inserted into and/or through thehosel 104, and a grip or handle member 108 attached to the shaft member106 or be considered a part of the shaft member 106. Shaft member 106defines an axis 106 a extending along its centerline.

Optionally, if desired, the hosel 104 may be eliminated and the shaftmember 106 may be directly inserted into and/or otherwise attached tothe golf club head 102 (e.g., through an opening provided in the top ofthe club head 102, through an internal hosel member (e.g., providedwithin an interior chamber defined by the club head 102), etc.). Thehosel 104 may be integrally formed as part of the club head structure102, or it may be separately formed and engaged therewith (e.g., byadhesives or cements; by welding, brazing, soldering, or other fusingtechniques; by mechanical connectors; etc.). Conventional hosels andtheir inclusion in an iron-type club head structure may be used withoutdeparting from this disclosure.

The shaft member 106 may be received in, engaged with, and/or attachedto the club head 102 in any suitable or desired manner, including inconventional manners known and used in the art, without departing fromthe disclosure. As more specific examples, the shaft member 106 may beengaged with the club head body 102 via the hosel 104 and/or directly tothe club head structure 102, e.g., via adhesives, cements, welding,soldering, mechanical connectors (such as threads, retaining elements,or the like), etc.; through a shaft-receiving sleeve or elementextending into the club head 102; etc. If desired, the shaft 106 may beconnected to the golf club head 102 in a releasable manner usingmechanical connectors to allow easy interchange of one shaft for anotheron the head.

The shaft member 106 also may be made from any suitable or desiredmaterials, including conventional materials known and used in the art,such as graphite based materials, composite or other non-metalmaterials, steel materials (including stainless steel), aluminummaterials, other metal alloy materials, polymeric materials,combinations of various materials, and the like. Also, the grip orhandle member 108 may be attached to, engaged with, and/or extend fromthe shaft member 106 in any suitable or desired manner, including inconventional manners known and used in the art, e.g., using adhesives orcements; via welding, soldering, brazing, or the like; via mechanicalconnectors (such as threads, retaining elements, etc.); etc. As anotherexample, if desired, the grip or handle member 108 may be integrallyformed as a unitary, one-piece construction with the shaft member 106.Additionally, any desired grip or handle member materials may be usedwithout departing from this disclosure, including, for example: rubbermaterials, leather materials, rubber or other materials including cordor other fabric material embedded therein, polymeric materials, and thelike.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to particular structures of the golfclub head 102. FIGS. 1-8D, 10, 12A, and 12B illustrate various views ofa golf club head 102 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. Asseen in FIGS. 2-8D, the golf club head 102 may include a heel 110, a toe112, a ball striking surface 114, a rear surface 116, a top surface 118and a sole surface 120.

According to aspects of the disclosure, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-8D,10, 12A, and 12B, the heel 110 may be located generally adjacent to thehosel 104. The toe 112 may be located generally opposite the heel 110and the hosel 104. Additionally, the ball striking surface 114 (FIG. 7)may be located generally at the front of the golf club head 102 and theball striking surface 114 may be used to strike a golf ball. The ballstriking surface 114 may extend generally from the heel 110 to the toe112. The ball striking surface 114 forms an angle relative to the ground(i.e., the loft angle) when the club is oriented in a referenceposition.

FIGS. 7-8D illustrate a golf club head 102 oriented in a referenceposition. In the reference position, the shaft axis 106 a (and/or hoselaxis) lies in a vertical plane as shown in FIG. 8A-8D.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the shaft axis 106 a (and/or hosel axis 128)may be oriented at a lie angle. A lie angle is defined as the angleformed between the shaft axis 106 a and a horizontal plane contactingthe sole surface 120, which may be the ground plane. The lie angleselected for the reference position may be the golf club 100manufacturer's specified lie angle. If a specified lie angle is notavailable from the manufacturer, a lie angle of approximately 64 degreesmay be used for wedges, depending on shaft length and/or club headgeometry, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.For example, a contemporary wedge may be oriented at a lie angle of 64about degrees. The face may be oriented at a loft angle and face anglefor the reference position at the golf club manufacturer's specifiedloft and face angles.

A loft angle is defined as a measurement between an axis normal orperpendicular to a face center axis and an axis normal or perpendicularto the ground plane. The face center axis is defined as the axis fromthe face center C_(S) and normal to the face 114. Similarly, the loftangle may be defined as a measurement between a face center axis and theground plane. It is recognized that each of these loft angle definitionsmay yield a similar or exactly the same loft angle measurement.Additionally, a face angle is measured by utilizing the face center axisand a right plane or a plane perpendicular to the X axis.

Club head parameters or characteristics may be measured physically, orin a computer-aided-design (CAD) environment. Generally, if a3-dimensional (3D) model of club head 102 is not readily available, onemay be created by performing a 3D scan of the interior and exterior of aphysical example of the club head 102 and creating a model file from thescan data and/or physical measurements, such that the model issubstantially representative of the physical club head. In the CADenvironment, the model of club head 102 may be set in the referenceposition with the face 110 oriented at the base face angle and/or thebase loft angle within the CAD environment such that the model is fullyconstrained.

In another aspect of this invention, the golf club 100 may be physicallyoriented in the reference position using a fixturing system. As wasdescribed above, the shaft axis 106 a (and/or hosel axis) may be alignedat a lie angle according to the golf club manufacturer's specification,or at an appropriate lie angle as determined by one of skill in the art.The golf club head 102 may rest with its sole surface 120 contacting ahorizontal surface or ground plane with the ball striking face 114positioned at the face angle and/or loft angle using conventional loftand face angle measurement gauges known to one of skill in the art.

Referring to FIG. 7, the ball striking surface 114 has a generally flator planar surface extending from the sole surface 120 to the top surface118 and from the toe 112 to a front-surface heel-side line 111. Thefront-surface heel-side line 111 (shown dashed) demarcates where thegenerally flat ball striking surface 114 joins a curved transitionsurface that extends into the hosel 104. The ball striking surface 114has a length L defined in a heel-to-toe direction from the toe 112 tothe front-surface heel-side line 111 and a height H defined in atop-to-bottom direction from the top surface 118 to the ground. Thelength L is measured horizontally and the height H is measuredvertically when the club is in the reference position.

Further, the ball striking surface 114 may be provided with score lines115, grooves, or other surface features or textures enhancing theability of the club head to grip the golf ball during impact. Agrip-enhanced area or a ball striking area 114 a may be generallydefined by a heel-side score line (or other grip-enhancing surfacefeature) boundary L1 (shown dashed) and a toe-side score line (or othergrip-enhancing surface feature) boundary L2 (shown dashed) and bysegments of the top and bottom perimeter edges 118, 120 of the ballstriking surface 114 extending between by those heel-side and toe-sideboundary lines L1, L2. Thus, the ball striking area 114 a has a lengthL_(s) (extending between boundary L1 and boundary L2) and a height H_(s)(extending between top edge 118 and sole surface 120). Generally, thisheight increases in the toe direction. A centerline L3 of the ballstriking area 114 a may be located halfway along the length L_(s) of theball striking area 114 a. A face center C_(s) of the ball striking area114 a may be located halfway along the height H_(s) at the centerline L3(see FIG. 7). (Lines L1, L2 and L3 may be associated withthrough-the-thickness cross-sections as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIGS.8A, 8B and 8C, respectively. Thus, points on the rear surface 116 and/oron the sole surface 120 may be defined by reference to lines L1, L2and/or L3.)

According to aspects of the invention, and referring also to FIGS. 1 and8A-8C, the club head 102 may be characterized as having a blade-typeportion 130 and a thickened portion 140 (i.e., a portion of the clubhead 102 that is generally thicker than the blade portion 130). Theblade portion 130 generally is provided in the upper portion of the clubhead 102 and the thickened portion 140 is generally provided in thelower portion of the club head 102.

The blade portion 130, which is relatively thin, generally encompassesthe entire upper portion of the club head 102. According to someembodiments, the blade portion 130 may have a substantially constantthickness T_(B) (see FIGS. 8A-8C) that may be less than, for example,about 6.35 mm. The thickness T_(B) is measured perpendicular to the ballstriking surface 114. According to other embodiments, the blade portion130 may have a thickness T_(B) that varies from top to bottom. Forexample, the thickness T_(B) of the blade portion 130 may graduallyincrease, with the minimal thickness being at the top. Other variationsin thickness T_(B) of the blade portion 130 may be apparent to personsof ordinary skill in the art. For example, the thickness T_(B) of theblade portion 130 may gradually and monotonically increase from the heel110 to the toe 112. Optionally, the blade portion 130 may have localizedreinforcement ribs or perimeter weighting (not shown).

The thickened portion 140 generally is provided on a lower portion ofthe club head 102 and allows for the redistribution of weight within theclub head 102. Thus, this thickened portion 140 may help balance theclub head 102 thereby improving the swing dynamics of the user and thetrajectory of the struck golf ball. When compared to a conventionalblade-type club head, the thickened portion 140 may shift the center ofgravity downward and toward the toe. When compared to a conventionalmuscle back-type club head, the thickened portion 140 may shift thecenter of gravity toward the toe. The thickened portion 140 has athickness T_(C) (see FIGS. 8A-8C) that is everywhere greater than thatof the blade portion 130. The thickness T_(C), which is measuredperpendicular to the ball striking surface 114, varies across the lengthand height direction of the club head 102.

According to some aspects and referring back to FIG. 2 and to FIGS.8A-8C, the lower rear surface region 116 b defines one side of athickened area, i.e., the thickened portion 140 of the club head 102. Asecond side of the thickened portion 140 is defined by the sole surface120. A third side of the thickened portion 140 is defined by the ballstriking surface 114. Thus, the cross-sectional shape of the thickenedportion 140 may be generally triangular.

The rear surface 116 is located at the rear or back of the golf clubhead 102 opposite the ball striking surface 114. The rear surface 116extends generally from the heel 110 to the toe 112 and from the top 118to the sole 120. Referring to the figures, the rear surface 116 includestwo general regions: an upper rear surface region 116 a and a lower rearsurface region 116 b. The upper rear surface region 116 a is associatedwith the blade-type portion 130 and the lower rear surface region 116 bis associated with the thickened portion 140.

Referring to FIG. 1 and to FIGS. 8A-8C, the lower rear surface region116 b may be generally demarcated from the upper rear surface region 116a at a transition region 121 (represented by contour lines). Typically,there will be no sharp boundary separating the lower rear surface region116 b and the upper rear surface region 116 a, such as in the case ofthe embodiment shown in the figures, and the transition between thelower rear surface region 116 b and the upper rear surface region 116 awill be provided as a gradually curved surface. In such case, aninterface line 121 a may be defined between the upper rear surfaceregion 116 a and the lower rear surface region 116 b by the set ofpoints where a line angled 45 degrees from the ball striking surface 114tangentially contacts the surface in the transition region 121.

According to certain aspects, the transition region 121 on the toe-sideof the club head 102 (and therefore, also, the interface line 121 a) maybe located in the middle third of the height dimension H (see FIG. 1) ofthe ball striking surface 114. Optionally, the transition region 121 onthe toe-side of the club head 102 may be located in the middle quintileof the height dimension H of the ball striking surface 114. Even morepreferably, the transition region 121 on the toe-side of the club head102 may be located in the range between 45 to 55 percent of the heightdimension H of the ball striking surface 114. According to someembodiments, the interface line 121 a defines the boundary between theupper blade-type portion 130 and the lower thickened portion 140 and, atthe centerline L3, the interface line 121 a approximately bisects theheight H of the ball striking surface 114. On the heel-side of the clubhead 102, the transition region 121 may become less defined that thetransition region on the toe-side. Further, the transition region 121 onthe heel-side of the club head 102 may dip down toward the sole surface120.

According to some aspects, the interface line 121 a on the toe-side ofthe club head 102 may be oriented at a slight angle to the horizontal(when the club is in the reference position). For example, the interfaceline 121 a on the toe-side of the club head 102 may angle upward as itextends away from the heel 110 and toward the toe 112. Alternatively,the interface line 121 a on the toe-side of the club head 102 may beoriented substantially parallel to the horizontal (when the club is inthe reference position). In certain embodiments, the transition region121 and/or the interface line 121 a may have a slight curvature. Forexample, the interface line may have a slight downwardly-facing concavecurvature when the club head 102 is viewed from the rear. The curvatureof the transition region 121 and of the interface line 121 a mayincrease on the heel-side of the club head 120. In other embodiments,the transition region 121 and/or the interface line 121 may besubstantially straight.

Thus, in accordance with aspects of this invention, the upper rearsurface region 116 a may be provided as a substantially flat area or agenerally planar surface. A substantially flat area will be flat withthe possible exception of relatively minor radii of curvature atperimeter transition regions. A generally planar surface may be providedwith an overall gentle curvature or regions of gentle curvature suchthat the overall surface slightly departs from the planar as either aconvexly curved or a concavely curved surface. Optionally, a generallyplanar surface may be provided as a smooth complexly-curved surface. Insuch instance, the generally planar surface may have regions of bothvery shallow convex curvature and very shallow concave curvature. Theupper rear surface region 116 a (in conjunction with the upper portionof the ball striking surface 114 defines a blade portion 130 of the clubhead 102. The upper rear surface region 116 a (and the upper portion ofthe ball striking surface 114) extends across the entire length of theupper portion of the club head 102. According to certain embodiments,the upper rear surface region 116 a and the upper portion of the ballstriking surface 114 may be parallel or substantially parallel to eachother (e.g., within 2 degrees).

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the lower rear surface region 116 b willnow be described. The lower rear surface region 116 b is locatedadjacent the toe and extends a majority of the way toward a rear-surfaceheel-side edge 113. The rear-surface heel-side line 113 (shown dashed inFIGS. 1, 2 and 4) demarcates where the rear surface 116 transitions tothe heel surface 110. Typically, there will be a curved transitionregion separating the rear surface 116 from the heel surface 110, suchas in the embodiment shown in the figures. In such case, therear-surface heel-side line 113 may be defined between the rear surface116 and the heel surface 110 by the set of points where a line angled 45degrees from the ball striking surface 114 tangentially contacts thesurface in the heel-to-rear transition region.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the lower rear surfaceregion 116 b has a more complex surface geometry than the upper rearsurface region 116 a. The lower rear surface region 116 b may beapportioned into to portions: P1 and P2. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5,8B and 8C, a first portion P1 of the lower rear surface region 116 b maybe formed as a substantially flat surface area and the second portion P2may be formed as a complexly and smoothly curved indentation or hollow.The first portion P1 is located closer to the toe than is the secondportion P2 and thus, the first portion P1 may be referred to as atoe-side portion and the second portion P2 may be referred to as aheel-side portion. According to certain embodiments, the first portionP1 of the lower rear surface region 116 b may extend acrossapproximately two-thirds of the length L of the club head 102 and thesecond portion P2 of the lower rear surface region 116 b may extendapproximately one-third of the length L of the club head 102.

The first portion P1 of the lower rear surface region 116 b extends fromthe upper rear surface region 116 a at an angle A (see FIG. 8D). Thefirst portion P1 is located adjacent to the toe 112 of the club head 102and extends from the toe 112 toward the centerline L3. Further, thefirst portion P1 may extend from the toe 112 to the centerline L3 and/orbeyond or past the centerline L3. Thus, the first portion P1 of thelower rear surface region 116 may extend across a majority of the lengthL of the club head 102. Further, the first portion P1 may extend acrossa majority of the length L_(s) of the ball striking area 114 a.

The substantially flat area of the first portion P1 of the lower rearsurface region 116 b extends at an angle A to the substantially flatarea of the upper rear surface region 116 a. This is illustratedschematically in FIG. 8D, where line a₁ represents the substantiallyflat surface of upper rear surface region 116 a and line a₂ representsthe substantially flat surface of lower rear surface region 116 b. Linea₁ may be determined as a least-squares fit of the contour of the upperrear surface region 116 a and line a₂ may be determined as aleast-squares fit of the contour of the lower rear surface region 116 b

According to certain aspects, the angle A between the upper rear surfaceregion 116 a and first portion P1 of the lower rear surface region 116 bmay be an obtuse angle (see FIGS. 8B and 8C). According to someembodiments, the angle A may equal to 130 degrees±30 degrees.Optionally, the angle A may be a function of the loft angle of the clubhead. For example, the angle A may generally equal to 180 degrees minusthe loft angle (±20 degrees). According to certain embodiments, the linerepresenting a least-squares fit of the contour of the lower rearsurface region 116 b at lines L2 and l3 may be substantially parallel(±10 degrees) to the longitudinal axis 106 a of the shaft 106. Thus,when the club head 102 is in the reference position, the first portionP1 of the lower rear surface region 116 b may be oriented substantiallyvertically. Further, the first portion P1 of the lower rear surfaceregion 116 b may extend parallel to the length of the club head 102.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5 and 8A, a second portion P2 of the lower rearsurface region 116 b may be formed as a complexly curved surface thatsmoothly and tangentially merges with the substantially flat orgenerally planar surface of the first portion P1 and with thesubstantially flat or generally planar surface of the upper rear surfaceregion 116 a. When merging with the first portion P1, the second portionP2 assumes a smooth, relatively shallow, convex curvature. When mergingwith the substantially flat or generally planar surface of the upperrear surface region 116 a, the second portion P2 assumes a smooth,relatively shallow, concave curvature. For example, according to oneembodiment, when viewed from below (see FIGS. 2 and 3), where the secondportion P2 lies adjacent to the sole surface 120 (i.e., at perimeteredge 124), it has a relatively steep, approximately 45 degree slope asit extends away from the first portion P1 which then flattens to anapproximately 0 degree slope as it merges with the heel 110. In someembodiments, this perimeter edge 124 may be slightly convex close towhere it merges with the first portion P1 and slightly concave where itmerges with the heel 110. Where the second portion P2 lies adjacent tothe upper rear surface region 116 a, it has a relatively constant slopeof between 10 to 30 degrees. In some embodiments, the intersection 121between the upper rear surface region 116 a and the second portion P2 ofthe lower rear surface region 116 b may be slightly convex as extendsfrom the first portion P1 to the heel 110. Thus, the second portion P2includes both convexly curved surfaces and concavely curved surfaces.

This second portion P2 is located adjacent the heel 110 of the club head102 and extends from the heel 110 toward the centerline L3. According tosome embodiments, the second portion P2 does not extend behind thecenterline L3 of the ball striking area 114 a. Thus, the second portionP2 may extend across a minority of the length L_(s) of the ball strikingarea 114 a.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and FIGS. 8A-8C, the lower rear surface region 116 bmay include profile measurements T1, T2, and T3. These profilemeasurements T1, T2 and T3 are a measure of the distance between theball striking surface 114 and a perimeter edge 124 of the lower rearsurface region 116 b These profile measurements T1, T2, T3 are also ameasure of the maximum thickness of the thickened portion 140. Theperimeter edge 124 of the lower rear surface region 116 b is defined asthe intersection of the lower rear surface region 116 b with the solesurface 120 and thus, may also be referred to as the sole trailing edge124, as will be discussed further below. Profile dimension T1 ismeasured perpendicular to the ball striking surface 114 at the L1cross-section (see FIG. 8A): profile dimension T2 is measuredperpendicular to the hall striking surface 114 at the cross-section (seeFIG. 8B); and profile dimension T3 is measured perpendicular to the ballstriking surface 114 at the L3 cross-section (see FIG. 5 and also FIGS.8A-8C). T1 may define a maximum dimension of the thickened portion 140at the L1 cross-section. T2 may define a maximum dimension of thethickened portion 140 at the L2 cross-section. T3 may define a maximumdimension of the thickened portion 140 at the centerline L3.

According to certain embodiments, T3 is greater than T2. Optionally, T2may be within 30% of the value of T3, or even within 20% of the value ofT3. For example, T3 may be approximately 20 mm (±3 mm), and T2 may beapproximately 15 mm (±2 mm). According to some embodiments, T3 isconsiderably greater than T1. Optionally, T3 may be more than 100%greater than the value of T1, more than 200% greater than the value ofT1, or even more than 300% greater than the value of T1. For example, T3may be approximately 20 mm (±3 mm), and T1 may be approximately 7 mm (±1mm).

Additionally, referring back to FIGS. 1-3, the club head 102 includes asole or a sole surface 120. The sole surface 120 is located at thebottom of the club head 102 and provides a lower surface of thethickened portion 140. The sole surface 120 extends from the heel 110 tothe toe 112. Further, the sole surface 120 extends from a leading edge122 to a trailing edge 124. The sole surface 120 may be complexlycurved, for example, having a curvature along the length of the clubhead and also along the width of the club head 102.

According to aspects of the invention, as best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3and 6 and FIGS. 8A-8C, the sole surface 120 may have a front-to-backwidth that is relatively thick in a first sole portion S1 and relativelythin in a second sole portion S2. First sole portion S1 may generally beassociated with the first rear surface portion P1 and second soleportion S2 may generally be associated with the second rear surfaceportion P2. Thus, first sole portion S1 is located adjacent the toe 112and extends toward the heel 100 beyond line L2, possibly beyond line L3,but not reaching line L1. Second sole portion S2 is located adjacent theheel 110 and extends toward the toe 112 beyond line L1, but generallydoes not reach line L3.

According to some embodiments, the combined sole portions S1 and S2proved a smooth, unbroken, gently convexly curved sole surface 120. Inother words, according to these embodiments, the surface of the solesurface 120 provides no demarcation between the sole portions S1, S2.However, the widths of the sole portions S1, S2 do provide a means fordistinguishing the portions. Sole portion S1 has a relatively constant,relatively wide width. Sole portion S2 has a width that varies from therelatively wide width of sole portion S1 to a relatively thin width awayfrom sole portion S1. According to some embodiments, sole portion S2 hasan S-shaped edge that causes the width to substantially decrease as soleportion S2 extends from sole portion S1 toward the heel 110.

Sole surface 120 may be defined, at least in part, by a sole leadingedge 122 and a sole trailing edge 124. The sole leading edge 122 and thesole trailing edge 124 define opposite perimeter edges of the solesurface 120 and may generally extend from the heel 110 to the toe 112.The sole leading edge 122 is located at the intersection of a bottomedge of the ball striking surface 114 and the sole surface 120. When theball striking surface 114 and the sole surface 120 are joined by acurved intersection, the sole leading edge 122 may be defined as theline where a 45 degree line relative to the horizontal ground plane istangent to the curved intersection (in the vertical cross-section of thecurved intersection). Similarly, the sole trailing edge 124 may belocated generally opposite the sole leading edge 122 on the sole surface120. When the rear surface 116 and the sole surface 120 are joined by acurved intersection, the sole trailing edge 24 may be defined as theline where a 45 degree line relative to the horizontal ground plane istangent to the curved intersection (in the vertical cross-section of thecurved intersection).

Additionally, referring particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the sole surface 120may be further defined by a sole heel perimeter edge 126 and a sole toeperimeter edge 128. The sole heel edge 126 may be located generally nearthe heel side of the golf club head 102. The sole heel edge 126 mayextend generally from the sole leading edge 122 to the sole trailingedge 124. Similarly, the sole toe edge 128 may be located generally nearthe toe side of the golf club head 102. The sole toe edge 128 may extendgenerally from the sole leading edge 122 to the sole trailing edge 124.As with the sole leading and trailing edges 122, 124, when the toesurface (or the heel surface) and the sole surface 120 are joined by acurved intersection, the sole toe edge 126 (or the sole heel edge 128)may be defined as the line where a 45 degree line relative to thehorizontal ground plane is tangent to the curved intersection (in thevertical cross-section of the curved intersection).

The sole surface 120 of the present invention may be considered acontoured sole in comparison to the soles of conventional iron-type golfclubs and wedge-type golf club heads. Referring for example to FIGS. 2and 3, viewed from below when the club head is in a reference position,the leading edge 122 of the sole surface 120 extends across both soleportions S1, S2 in a smooth, unbroken, very shallow convexly-curved linein a toe-to-heel direction. The trailing edge 124 of the sole surface120 also extends in a smooth, unbroken, very shallow convexly-curvedline in a toe-to-heel direction in the S1 sole portion. Further, thesection of the trailing edge 124 in the first sole portion S1 may begenerally oriented substantially parallel to the ball striking surface114 and substantially parallel to the horizontal. However, the trailingedge 124 of the sole surface 120 in the second sole portion S2 assumes acomplexly-curved shape, i.e., having a convexly-curved portion and aconcavely-curved portion. In the example embodiment shown, the trailingedge 124 assumes an S-shape profile in the S2 sole portion. For purposesof this disclosure, an S-shaped profile has a convex curvature and thena concave curvature with a point of inflection therebetween. The convexand concave curvatures need not be equal. The point of inflection neednot be centered. Further, the curvatures may be shallow or deep. In theembodiment shown, the trailing edge 124 in the second sole portion S2may be provided with a convex curvature that smoothly merges with thesubstantially linear section of the trailing edge 124 in the soleportion S1. As the trailing edge 124 extends further toward the heel itscurvature smoothly and gradually changes to a concave curvature. Thepoint of inflection may be approximately aligned with line L1.

Referring to FIG. 3 and as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, the sole surface 120may include three separate sole width measurements W1, W2 and W3. Thesole widths W1, W2, W3 are measured as the horizontal distance betweenthe sole leading edge 122 and the sole trailing edge 124, with the clubhead 102 at a reference position. Thus, the sole width measurements W1,W2, W3 may be defined as the horizontal distance on the regions of thesole surface 120 from the sole leading edge 122 to the sole trailingedge 124. W1 is associated with the L1 cross-section; W2 is associatedwith the L2 cross-section; and W3 is associated with the L3cross-section. W1 may be defined as a heel-side sole width measurement,measured at a location near or proximate to the sole heel edge 126. W2may be defined as a toe-side sole width measurement, measured at alocation near or proximate to the sole toe edge 128. W3 may be definedas a centerline sole width measurement, measured at the L3cross-section, i.e., at a location approximately equidistant between W1and W2.

Thus, according to certain aspects, the sole surface 120 may extendrearward from the sole leading edge 122 to the sole trailing edge 124and may extend lengthwise from the sole heel edge 128 to the sole toeedge 128. The sole surface 120 may have a maximum width W_(max) and aminimum width W_(min) (see FIG. 3). The minimum width W_(min) may belocated adjacent to the sole heel edge 126. Optionally, the minimumwidth W_(min) may be located between the heel-side boundary line L1 andthe centerline L3. The maximum width W_(max) may be located between theball striking centerline L3 and the sole toe edge 128. Optionally, themaximum width W_(max) may be located between the centerline L3 and thetoe-side boundary line L2. The width of the sole surface 120 maymonotonically increase from the minimum width W_(min) to the maximumwidth W_(max), from the sole heel edge 126 to the centerline L3, and/orfrom the heel-side boundary line L1 to the centerline L3. According tocertain embodiments, the sole trailing edge 124 may have an S-shapedprofile (i.e., a convex curvature and a concave curvature with a pointof inflection therebetween) that extends between the maximum widthW_(max) and the minimum width W_(min).

According to certain embodiments, W3 may be approximately equal to W2.Thus, the width of the sole surface 120 may be substantially constant(i.e., within 10%) from the centerline L3 to the toe-side boundary lineL2 and/or from the centerline L3 to the sole toe edge 128.

According to other embodiments, W3 is greater than W2. Optionally, W2may be within 20% of the value of W3, within 15% of the value of W3, oreven within 10% of the value of W3. For example, W3 may be approximately28 mm (±3 mm), and W2 may be approximately 25 mm (±3 mm). According tosome embodiments, W3 is considerably greater than W1. Optionally, W3 maybe more than 200% greater than the value of W1, more than 300% greaterthan the value of W1, or even more than 400% greater than the value ofW1. For example, W3 may be approximately 28 mm (±3 mm), and W1 may beapproximately 6 mm (±1 mm).

Thus, the thickened portion 140 of the club head may be considered tohave two portions: a first portion 142 located adjacent to the toe 112of the club head 102 and associated with the first portion P1 of thelower rear surface region 116 b and the first portion S1 of the solesurface 120; and a second portion 144 located adjacent the heel 110 ofthe club head 102 and associated with the second portion P2 of the lowerrear surface region 116 b and the second portion S2 of the sole surface120. According to aspects of the invention, the first portion 142 has agreater thickness than the second portion 144. The first portion 142 hasa greater width of the sole surface 120 than the second portion 144. Thefirst portion 142 has a greater volume than the second portion 144. Thefirst portion 142 has a greater mass than the second portion 144.According to some embodiments, the second portion 142 may be shaped as asmooth depression that provides an ergonomically comfortable thumb-gripregion when the club head 102 is gripped by a user's right hand, thepointer finger supports the ball striking surface 114 and the remainingthree fingers of the user's right hand loosely curl around the hosel104.

FIG. 8A illustrates a heel sole-to-ground measurement H1 between thesole surface 120 and the ground plane at the heel 110 of the club head102. The heel sole-to-ground measurement H1 is associated with the L1cross-section and the second portion S2 of the sole surface 120. Theheel sole-to-ground measurement H1 may be defined as the vertical gapdimension between the sole surface 120 and the ground along the L1cross-section at the lower heel surface 140 or heel edge when the clubhead 102 is oriented in the reference position. For a particularexemplary golf club head in accordance with the present invention, theH1 measurement may be approximately 5 mm. Other H1 dimensions may beapplicable without departing from this invention.

FIG. 8C illustrates a toe sole-to-ground measurement H1 between the solesurface 120 and the ground plane at the toe 112 of the club head 102.The toe sole-to-ground measurement H3 is associated with the L3cross-section and the second portion S1 of the sole surface 120. The toesole-to-ground measurement H3 may be defined as the vertical gapdimension between the sole surface 120 and the ground along the L3cross-section at the lower toe surface 144 or toe edge when the clubhead 102 is oriented in the reference position. For a particularexemplary golf club head in accordance with the present invention, theH3 measurement may be approximately 2.5 mm to 3 mm. Other H3 dimensionsmay be applicable without departing from this invention.

Table 1, below, provides dimensions for an exemplary 48-degree wedgeclub head in accordance with an embodiment of this invention.

TABLE 1 Example Dimensions for a 48-Degree Loft Wedge Club Head LateralProfile Dimension Width W1, W2 Position T1, T2 and T3 (mm) and W3 (mm)L1  7.0 ± 1.0  6.0 ± 1.0 L2 15.0 ± 2.0 25.0 ± 3.0 L3 20.0 ± 3.0 28.0 ±3.0

Table 1 describes a particular exemplary golf club heads in accordancewith the present invention. Other golf club heads with differentthickened portion profile dimensions T1, T2, T3, and/or different solesurface width measurements W1, W2, W3 may be provided in accordance withvarious aspect of the present invention, and or different sole-to-groundmeasurements H1, H3. For example, without departing from this invention,the profile dimension measurements T2 and T3 may be betweenapproximately 20.0 mm and approximately 40.0 mm. Optionally, the profiledimension measurements T2 and T3 may be between approximately 25.0 mmand approximately 35.0 mm, or even between approximately 27.0 mm andapproximately 32.0 mm.

Without departing from this invention, the sole width measurements W2and W3 may be between approximately 20.0 mm and approximately 45.0 mm.Optionally, the sole width measurements W2 and W3 may be betweenapproximately 25.0 mm and approximately 40.0 mm, or even betweenapproximately 30.0 mm and approximately 35.0 mm.

A maximum sole width need not coincide with the sole widths at lines L2or L3. According to some embodiments, the maximum sole width may belocated between line L2 and L3 and may be slightly greater than the solewidth measurements W2 and/or W3. Thus, by way of non-limiting example, amaximum sole width may be 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm greater than the sole widthmeasurements W2 or W3. The maximum sole width may range from betweenapproximately 25.0 mm and approximately 42.0 mm, between approximately30.0 mm and approximately 37.0 mm, or even between approximately 32.0 mmand approximately 36.0 mm.

Without departing from this invention, the sole width measurement W1 maybe between approximately 3.0 mm and approximately 15.0 mm. Optionally,the sole width measurement W1 may be between approximately 4.0 mm andapproximately 10.0 mm, or even between approximately 5.0 mm andapproximately 9.0 mm.

A minimum sole width need not coincide with the sole width at line L1.According to some embodiments, the minimum sole width may be slightlyless than the sole width measurement W1. Thus, by way of non-limitingexample, a minimum sole width may be 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm less than the solewidth measurement W1. The minimum sole width may range from betweenapproximately 3.0 mm and approximately 10.0 mm, between approximately3.5 mm and approximately 9.0 mm, or even between approximately 3.0 mmand approximately 7.0 mm.

Additionally, the sole surface 120 may have a front-to-rear curvatureradius, i.e., the radius of the curvature of the sole surface from theleading edge 122 to the trailing edge 124 (not shown). For example, fora particular exemplary 59-degree wedge, the front-to-rear curvatureradius may be approximately 6.5 cm. Additionally, for the presentinvention, the sole surface 120 may have a front-to-rear curvatureradius 130 ranging from between approximately 3.0 cm to approximately10.0 cm, between approximately 4.0 cm to approximately 9.0 cm, betweenapproximately 5.0 cm to approximately 8.0 cm, or even betweenapproximately 6.0 cm to approximately 7.0 cm without departing from thisinvention. Such front-to-rear curvatures are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/047,625, “Iron-Type Golf Club Heads with a WideSole,” filed Mar. 14, 2011, to Knight et al., which is incorporated byreference in its entirety herein.

In another embodiment, without departing from the invention, thefront-to-rear curvature radius may include multiple radius sections,wherein each radius section may have different front-to-rear curvatureradii. For example, the front-to-rear curvature radius may include afirst radius section and a second radius section. For an exemplary53-degree wedge, a first radius section may have an approximate 25 mmradius and a second radius section may have an approximate 50 mm radius.The first radius section may extend from the leading edge 122 to aconvergence line approximately 7.0 mm from the front edge 122. Thesecond radius section extends from convergence line to the rear edge124. Such front-to-rear curvatures with multiple radius sections aredescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/047,625, “Iron-TypeGolf Club Heads with a Wide Sole,” filed Mar. 14, 2011, to Knight etal., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

Additionally, the sole surface 120 may include a heel-to-toe curvature.A heel-to-toe curvature radius may be defined as the radius of thecurvature of the sole surface 120 from the heel edge 126 to the toe edge128. For an exemplary 59-degree wedge, the heel-to-toe radius may beapproximately 18 cm. Additionally, as was described above for thefront-to-rear curvature radius, the heel-to-toe curvature may alsoinclude multiple radius sections with each having different heel-to-toeradii. Such heel-to-toe curvature is also described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/047,625, “Iron-Type Golf Club Heads with a WideSole,” filed Mar. 14, 2011, to Knight et al., which is incorporated byreference in its entirety herein.

A conventional ideal total weight of a golf club head 102 may beapproximately 300 grams. In a particular exemplary wedge club head 102,the indentation in the thickened portion 140 in the toe region mayremove approximately eight to eleven grams of weight from the solesurface 120 and club head 102, or approximately 3-4% of the total weightof the golf club head 102 (as compared to a rear portion having constantthickness and width dimension across the entire length of the club head102. Such weight may be re-distributed to other locations on the clubhead 102 to selectively control the center of gravity on the ballstriking surface 114. Additionally, for the present invention, theindentation in the thickened portion 140 in the toe region may removeweight of approximately 6 grams, approximately 7 grams, approximately 8grams, approximately 9 grams, approximately 10 grams, approximately 11grams, approximately 12 grams, or approximately 13 grams or more withoutdeparting from this invention.

According to certain embodiments, the length of the thickened portion140 may be defined as the distance from the heel edge 126 to the toeedge 128. In a particular exemplary club head 102, the length of thethickened portion 140 may be approximately 8.0 cm. Optionally, thethickened portion 140 may have a length ranging from approximately 6.5cm to approximately 9.5 cm, from approximately 7.0 cm to approximately9.0, or even from approximately 7.5 cm to approximately 8.5 cm withoutdeparting from this invention. According to some embodiments, the firstportion 142 may extend at least two-thirds of the way from the toe 112to the heel-side line 113. According to other embodiments, the firstportion 142 of the thickened portion 140 may extend three-quarters ofthe way from the toe 112 to the heel-side line 113.

The contoured sole surface according to at least some examples of thisdisclosure may provide heel relief. FIGS. 9-12B best illustrate thefeatures of the heel relief of the golf club head 102 of the presentembodiment. Heel relief may be defined as the combination of the removalof material from the heel 110 of the sole 120 with smooth or softtransition edges. The heel relief may allow for the sole 120 of the clubhead 102 to lie at an angle and opens the face and increases lift. Forexample, heel relief may provide the ability for a consumer-type golferto perform well in the bunker and in turf-type conditions. Heel reliefgenerally provides and allows a wider, more stable sole surface 120 inthe toe-side 112 of the club head 102.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate top perspective views of a golf club head 102showing a sole/ground contact area 170A 170B of the two different clubheads 102A 102B. FIG. 9 illustrates a top perspective view of a priorart golf club head 102A and the sole/ground contact area 170A associatedwith the prior art club head 102A. FIG. 10 illustrates a top perspectiveview of a golf club head 102B in accordance with this invention and thesole/ground contact area 170B associated with the golf club head 102B.Both FIGS. 9 and 10 include a ground plane with the golf club headlaying open along the ground plane at an angled striking position.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the sole/ground contact area 170A of the priorart golf club head 102A is elongated across most of the length L of theclub head 102A, from the toe to the heel. Additionally, the sole/groundcontact area 170A of the prior art golf club head 102A is much thinneracross the club head 102A and the sole 120 in the front to reardirection of the golf club head 102A.

In contrast to the prior art golf club head 102A, FIG. 10 illustrates agolf club head 120B in accordance with examples of this invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, the sole/ground contact area 170B of the golfclub head 102B is located towards or proximate to the toe 112 of theclub head 102B. This golf club head 102B provides a wide toe-side 112sole surface S1 and sole/ground contact area 170B located at the toe 112of the club head 102B. The sole/ground contact area 170B of the golfclub head 102B is shorter, but more concentrated at the toe 112 of thegolf club head 102B. Additionally, the sole/ground contact area 170B ofthe golf club head 102B is wider across the club head 102B and the sole120 in the front to rear direction of the golf club head 102B. Thissole/ground contact area 170B may help to provide a wider, more stablesole surface 51 in the toe-side 112 of the club head 102B, whileproviding good performance in the rough. This sole/ground contact area170A may also provide a lack of heel/turf or ground interaction.

The heel relief of the golf club head 102 of the present invention alsoallows the center of gravity CG to be located closer to the face centerC_(S) of the ball striking face 114. The face center C_(S) isillustrated and further described above with reference to FIG. 7. Movingthe center of gravity CG closer to the face center C_(S) of the ballstriking face 114 allows the visual center of gravity (or face centerC_(S)) to be aligned more with the actual center of gravity CG. Thecenter of gravity CG moves closer to the face center C_(S) because theclub head 102 is much more center-biased as opposed to heel-biased, withthe weight shifting from the heel 110 (with the heel relief) towards thetoe 112. FIGS. 11A through 12B illustrate the movement of the center ofgravity CG closer to and towards the face center C_(S) of the ballstriking face 114.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an example prior art golf club head 102A.FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate a golf club head 102B in accordance withthis invention. FIGS. 11A and 12A illustrate front perspective views ofthe golf club head oriented in a reference position on the ground plane.FIGS. 11B and 12B illustrate cross-sectional views of the golf club headtaken along Line 11B-11B in FIG. 11A or Line 12B-12B in FIG. 12A.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 12A, each of the club heads include aface center C_(S) of the ball striking face 114 and a center of gravityCG location. FIGS. 11A and 12A also illustrate a distance or dimensionin the X-direction (or heel-to-toe direction) from the face center C_(S)of the ball striking face 114A the center of gravity CG location,labeled “C_(S) to CG (X)”. Additionally, FIGS. 11B and 12B illustrateclub heads with the face center C_(S) of the ball striking face 114A anda center of gravity CG location. FIGS. 11B and 12B illustrate a distanceor dimension of the location of the center of gravity location CG fromthe face center C_(S) of the ball striking face 114 in a directionnormal to the ball striking face 114, or the distance from the center ofgravity CG from the ball striking face 114, labeled “C_(S) to CG(Face)”.

As was stated above, the heel relief of the golf club head 102B of thepresent invention allows the center of gravity CG to be located closerto the face center C_(S) of the ball striking face 114. The center ofgravity CG of the golf club head 102B with heel relief of the presentinvention may move closer to the face center C_(S) of the ball strikingface 114 in the X-direction or in the heel 110 to toe 112 direction. Inone example, the C_(S) to CG (X) dimension for the prior art golf clubhead 102A in FIG. 11A may be approximately 6 millimeters, while theC_(S) to CG (X) dimension for the golf club head 102B in accordance withthis invention and illustrated in FIG. 12A may be approximately 4.5millimeters. The center of gravity CG for the golf club head 102B inaccordance with this invention may be approximately 1.5 millimeterscloser (or approximately 25% closer) to the face center C_(S) of theball striking face 114 than the prior art golf club head 102A withoutthe heel relief. In another example, the C_(S) to CG (X) dimension forthe prior art golf club 102A in FIG. 11A may be approximately 6.37millimeters, while the C_(S) to CG (X) dimension for the golf club head102B in accordance with this invention and illustrated in FIG. 12A maybe approximately 4.57 millimeters. The center of gravity CG for the golfclub head 102B in accordance with this invention may be approximately1.8 millimeters closer (or approximately 28% closer) to the face centerC_(S) of the ball striking face 114 than the prior art golf club head102A without the heel relief.

Additionally, the center of gravity CG of the golf club head 102B withheel relief of the present invention may move closer to the face centerC_(S) of the ball striking face 114 in the direction normal to the face.In one example, the C_(S) to CG (Face) dimension for the prior art golfclub head 102A in FIG. 11A may be approximately 1.3 millimeters, whilethe C_(S) to CG (Face) dimension for the golf club head 102B inaccordance with this invention and illustrated in FIG. 12A may beapproximately 0.1 millimeters. The center of gravity CG for the golfclub head 102B in accordance with this invention may be approximately1.2 millimeters closer (or approximately 90% closer) to the face centerC_(S) of the ball striking face 114 than the prior art golf club head102A without the heel relief. In another example, the C_(S) to CG (X)dimension for the prior art golf club head 102A in FIG. 11A may beapproximately 1.32 millimeters, while the C_(S) to CG (X) dimension forthe golf club head 102B in accordance with this invention andillustrated in FIG. 12A may be approximately 0.02 millimeters. Thecenter of gravity CG for the golf club head 102B in accordance with thisinvention may be approximately 1.3 millimeters closer (or approximately98% closer or almost exactly on the face center C_(S)) to the facecenter C_(S) of the ball striking face 114 than the prior art golf clubhead 102A without the heel relief.

A variety of club head 102 constructions are possible without departingfrom this disclosure. For example, if desired, some or all of thevarious individual parts of the club head 102 described above may bemade from multiple pieces that are connected together (e.g., byadhesives or cements; by welding, soldering, brazing, or other fusingtechniques; by mechanical connectors; etc.). Additionally, the club head102 may also be a unitary piece that, if desired, includes some or allof the various individual parts of the club head 102 described above.The various parts (e.g., the heel 110, toe 112, ball striking surface114, rear surface 116, and sole surface 120, etc.) may be made from anydesired materials and combinations of different materials, includingmaterials that are conventionally known and used in the art, such asmetal materials, including lightweight metal materials, compositematerials, polymer materials, steel, titanium, aluminum, tungsten,magnesium, beryllium, alloys including one or more of these metals,carbon-fiber reinforced materials, glass-fiber reinforced materials,graphite, etc.

Additionally, the club head 102 may be constructed in any suitable ordesired manner without departing from this disclosure, including inconventional manners known and used in the art. The club head 102 andits various parts may be made by forging, casting, molding, stamping,pressing, machining, grinding, and/or using other techniques andprocesses, including techniques and processes that are conventional andknown in the art.

A wide variety of overall club head constructions are possible withoutdeparting from this disclosure. For example, it is noted that thedimensions and/or other characteristics of a golf club head 102according to examples of this disclosure may vary significantly withoutdeparting from the disclosure. For example, while the above describedconfiguration may be particularly useful in wedges (e.g., pitchingwedges, lob wedges, gap wedges, sand wedges, etc.), the featuresdescribed above may be incorporated into any iron-type club headincluding, for example: iron-type hybrid clubs, driving irons, 0 through10 irons, etc.

Additional aspects of this disclosure relate to methods for producingand or manufacturing iron-type golf club heads and iron-type golf clubstructures in accordance with examples of this disclosure. Such methodsmay include, for example, one or more of the following steps in anydesired order and/or combinations: (a) providing a golf club head bodyof the various types described above (including any or all of thevarious structures, features, and/or arrangements described above),e.g., by manufacturing or otherwise constructing the golf club headbody, or by obtaining it from a third party source, etc.; (b) engaging ashaft member with the golf club head body; and (c) engaging a gripmember with the shaft member.

The iron-type golf club and golf club head according to this inventionprovides many benefits over the current golf clubs and golf club heads.First, the sole surface 120 of the present invention may be considered acontoured sole as compared to conventional iron-type club heads. Thecontoured sole surface 120 may help create lift more efficiently to thegolf club head 102 as it contacts and moves through the ground duringgolf ball contact thereby giving a user more room for swing-error whencontacting the ground. Additionally, the contoured sole surface 120 maygive the user more confidence with their golf swing and during the golfball contact due to the wide nature of the sole.

The present disclosure is described above and in the accompanyingdrawings with reference to a variety of example structures, features,elements, and combinations of structures, features, and elements. Thepurpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide examples of thevarious features and concepts related to the disclosure, not to limitthe scope of the disclosure. One skilled in the relevant art willrecognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to theembodiments described above without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure, as defined by the appended claims. For example, thevarious features and concepts described above in conjunction may be usedindividually and/or in any combination or subcombination withoutdeparting from this disclosure.

We claim:
 1. An iron-type golf club head comprising: a ball strikingsurface configured for striking a ball and having a ball striking areadefining a heel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line and a ballstriking centerline; a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface;and a sole surface extending rearward from a leading edge of the solesurface at an intersection with the ball striking surface to a trailingedge of the sole surface at an intersection with the rear surface andextending from a heel edge to a toe edge, the sole surface having amaximum width and a minimum width, the widths measured horizontally whenthe club head is in a reference position, wherein the minimum width islocated adjacent to the heel edge, wherein the maximum width is locatedbetween the ball striking centerline and the toe edge, wherein the widthof the sole surface monotonically increases from the minimum width tothe maximum width, and wherein the trailing edge of the sole surface hasan S-shaped profile that extends between the maximum width and theminimum width.
 2. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein theminimum width is between approximately 3.5 mm and approximately 9.0 mm.3. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum width isbetween approximately 25.0 mm and approximately 31.0 mm
 4. The iron-typegolf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum width is at least threetimes the minimum width.
 5. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1,wherein the S-shaped portion of the trailing edge extends from the toeedge to the ball striking centerline.
 6. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein the width of the sole surface is substantially constantfrom the centerline to the toe edge.
 7. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein the minimum width is located between the heel-sideboundary line and the centerline.
 8. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein the maximum width is located between the ball strikingcenterline and the toe-side boundary line.
 9. The iron-type golf clubhead of claim 1, wherein the width of the sole surface monotonicallyincreases from the heel-side boundary line to the centerline.
 10. Theiron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein the width of the solesurface is substantially constant from the centerline to the toe-sideboundary line.
 11. The iron-type golf club head of claim 1, wherein anupper portion of the club head is configured as a blade-type club headand a lower portion of the club head includes a thickened portion thatextends from the heel to the toe.
 12. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 11, wherein an interface line defines the boundary between theupper portion and the lower portion and, at the ball striking centerlinethe interface line approximately bisects the height of the ball strikingsurface.
 13. The iron-type golf club head of claim 11, wherein a heelvertical gap dimension between the ground plane and the heel edge whenthe club is oriented in the reference position is approximately 5 mm.14. The iron-type golf club head of claim 11, wherein a toe vertical gapdimension between the ground plane and the toe edge when the club isoriented in the reference position is approximately 3 mm.
 15. Aniron-type golf club head comprising: a ball striking surface configuredfor striking a ball, wherein the ball striking surfaces defines aheel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line and a ball strikingcenterline; a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface, the rearsurface having an upper rear surface region, a lower rear surface regionand an interface line defining the boundary therebetween; and whereinthe upper rear surface region is oriented substantially parallel to theball striking surface and is bounded by the upper edge and the interfaceline, wherein the lower rear surface region has a toe-side portion thatextends at least from the ball striking centerline to the toe-sideboundary line, and wherein the toe-side portion is orientedsubstantially vertically when the club head is in a reference position,and wherein the lower rear surface region has a heel-side portion thatextends from the toe-side portion to the heel, the heel-side portionhaving a rear profile dimension measured perpendicular to the ballstriking surface, that monotonically decreases as it approaches theheel.
 16. The iron-type golf club head of claim 13, where the toe-sideportion of the lower rear surface portion extends substantially parallelto the length direction of the club head.
 17. The iron-type golf clubhead of claim 13, wherein, at the ball striking centerline, theinterface line is located in the middle quintile of the height of theball striking surface.
 18. The iron-type golf club head of claim 13,wherein, when viewed from above and parallel to the ball strikingsurface, the toe-side portion of the lower rear surface region has aconvexly-curved rear profile.
 19. The iron-type golf club head of claim13, wherein, when viewed from above and parallel to the ball strikingsurface, the heel-side portion of the lower rear surface region includesa concavely-curved rear profile portion.
 20. The iron-type golf clubhead of claim 13, wherein the maximum rear profile dimension of thelower rear surface region is nearer the toe than the heel.
 21. Aniron-type golf club head comprising: a ball striking surface configuredfor striking a ball and having a grip-enhancing area defining aheel-side boundary line, a toe-side boundary line and a ball strikingcenterline; a rear surface opposite the ball striking surface, the rearsurface having an upper rear surface region, a lower rear surface regionand an interface line defining the boundary therebetween; and a solesurface extending rearward from the ball striking surface to the rearsurface and extending from a heel edge to a toe edge, wherein the solesurface has a maximum width and a minimum width, the widths measuredhorizontally when the club head is in a reference position, and whereinthe width of the sole surface monotonically increases from the heel edgeto the centerline, and wherein, when viewed from above and parallel tothe ball striking surface, the lower rear surface region has acomplexly-curved rear profile that monotonically increases as it extendsfrom the heel to the centerline and a convexly-curved rear profilebetween the centerline and the toe.
 22. The iron-type golf club head ofclaim 19, wherein the complexly-curved rear profile of the lower rearsurface region extending between the heel to the centerline has aconcave portion near the heel and a convex portion near the centerline.23. The iron-type golf club head of claim 19, wherein, when viewed frombelow, the trailing edge of the sole surface has an S-shaped profilethat extends between the maximum width and the minimum width.
 24. Theiron-type golf club head of claim 19, wherein the lower rear surfaceregion has a toe-side portion that extends at least from the ballstriking centerline to the toe-side boundary line and wherein thetoe-side portion is oriented substantially vertically when the club headis in a reference position.
 25. The iron-type golf club head of claim22, wherein the lower rear surface region is oriented substantiallyparallel to the length dimension of the club head.
 26. The iron-typegolf club head of claim 19, wherein the upper rear surface region isoriented substantially parallel to the ball striking surface.